Retractible overhead basketball goal-structures



R. J- MURPHY RETRACTIBLE OVERHEAD BASKETBALL GOAL-STRUCTURES Nov. 22, 1960 3 sheets -sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1959 INVENTOR.

RAYMOND J. MURPHY R. J. MURPHY Nov. 22, 1960 RETRACTIBLE OVERHEAD BASKETBALL GOAL-STRUCTURES Filed Feb. 19, 1959 3 Sheets-Shea! 2 IN V EN TOR.

RAYMOND J. MURPHY ATT Y.

FIG. 2

R. J. MURPHY Nov. 22, 1960 RETRACTIBLE OVERHEAD BASKETBALL GOAL-STRUCTURES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 19, 1959 INVENTOR.

RAYMOND J. MURPHY BY 7 United States Patetit O RETRACTIBLE OVERHEAD BASKETBALL GOAL-STRUCTURES Raymond J. Murphy, Afi'ton, Mo., assignor to Fred Medart Manufacturing Co., St. Louis, Mo., 2 corporation of Missouri Filed Feb. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 794,418

Claims. (Cl. 273-1.5)

This invention relates in general to gymnasium equipment and, more particularly, to a retractible overhead basketball goal-structure.

Most gymnasiums are designed for multiple usage and, consequently, the floor area is much larger than is required fora regulation-sized basketball court. Frequently, the floor area is large enough to accommodate several basketball courts in side-by-side relation and the goal-structures are mounted along the side walls of the building. 'Ihus, several gym classes, for example, can practice basketball at the same time. When, however, a game is to be played with another school, a main basketball court, which is laid out in the center of the floor area, can be used, allowing ample space around the peripheral areas of the gymnasium for chairs, bleachers, and the like, to be used by spectators. Since such a main basketball court must necessarily be located at substantial distances from the building walls, the goalstructures are usually suspended from the ceiling or roof trusses by a retractible framework of some sort, but existing types of retractible basketball goal-structures are heavy, cumbersome, and consist of many interconnected structural members which present a maximum of interference to the vision of spectators who must sit across the ends of the gymnasium. Moreover, existing types of basketball goal-structures are, for the most part. built for manual operation. Thus, it is relatively diflicult and expensive to incorporate power-driven operating means within the design.

.Another factor which has contributed materially to the cost of existing basketball goal-structures is the variety of architectural designs which are employed for gymnasium buildings, with the result that the trusses, beams, and other structural iron-Work does not follow' any standards as to construction or dimensions. Consequently, retractible basketball goal-structures which must be suspended from the roof trusses or overhead beams must be modified in design for practically every building in which such structures are to be installed.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a retractible overhead basketball goalstructure which is simple, economical, and extremely rigid when disposed in operative position.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a retractible overhead basketball goal-structure comprising a relatively small number of interconnected structural members, thereby presenting a minimum of interferencewith the vision of spectators who may be seated in a' balcony or in theupper tiers'of ableacher type; 65 seating structure.

It is also an object of the 'present invention to provide a. retractible overhead basketball goal-structure which can be economically and efficiently operated by powerdriven means. .r 7 p p Itis also an object of the present invention to-Lprovidejj a retractible overhead basketball goal-structure which" tom, need not be'described in particular detail.

automatically latches and unlatches itself as it moves into and out of operative position.

It is a further obiect of the present invention to provide a retractible overhead basketball goal-structure which can be readily adjusted as to height so as to be suitable for installation in any gymnasium building regardless of the particular architectural design thereof.

With the above and other objects in view, my inven-- tion resides in the novel features of form, construction,

arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a retractible overhead basketball goal-structure constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the retractible overhead basketball goal-structure in operative or fully extended position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the automatic latching structure forming a part of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 55 of Fig 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper:

portion of the basketball goal-structure showing the power-driven operating means forming a part of the pres-- ent invention;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the basketball goa1-. structure in inoperative or retracted position;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 6; and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8. Referring now in more detail and by reference char-f actors to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a re tractible overhead basketball goal-structure which is shown, for purposes of illustration herein, as being mounted or suspended from a pair of overhead beams b by means of conventional clevice-clamps c. It should, of course, be understood in this connection that the beams 17 and the cleviceclamps 0 do not, in and of themselves, constitute-any part of the present inventionand, there-' It is suflicient, for present purposes, merely to point out that the retractible overhead basketball goal-structure A con-' sists of two upper cross-bars 1, 2, which are adapted to extend horizontally between the beams b and are rigidly clamped thereto by the device-clamps c, substantially as' shown in Figure 1. Welded or otherwise rigidly mounted upon the crossbar 1 are two sleeve-fittings 3, integrally provided with depending bracket plates 4. 'Rotatably mounted at itsopposite ends in and extending horizontally between the bracket plates 4 is a tubular shaft 5 and welded or other wise rigidly mounted thereon midway between the bracket plates 4 is a radially projecting tubular column 6 which is provided upon its forwardly presented face portion and adjacent its lower end (reference being made to Figure 1) with a pair of circumferentially spaced parallel ears 7 which support a pintle or hinge-pin 8 for rockably supporting a hinge-plate 9 which is, 'in turn, welded or otherwise'rigidly secured upon the upper end "of a second tuoular column 10. The dimensions of the ears Tand disposed inendwise abutment against'the upperjendbf the column 10, with th ecoiumn'ti in somewhat rearwardly Patented Nov. 22, 1960 a inclined position-and the column 10 in forwardly inclined position, asbest seen in Figure 2.

Welded to and extending lengthwise along the rear face of the column 6 is a U-shaped reinforcing channel 11 and similarly welded upon the rear face of=.the column 10 is a U-shaped reinforcing channel 12. These two channels 11, 12, also meet in snug-fitting endwise abutment in the plane of abutment between the columns 6 and 10 when the goal-structure A is in fully extended position as shown in Figure 2. Welded on oppo'site'sides of thecolumn 6 adjacent the lower end thereof are small L- shaped brackets 13 having'laterally: projecting flanges-14 which are welded to the lower ends oftubular reinforcing struts 15.

upper ends to the shaft in outwardly; spaced relation to the upper end of the column-6 so as to form a triangulated reinforcing structure-or truss.

Welded upon the lower end of-the column 104is a tubu-. lar member 16 which is positionedso as to assume asubstantially vertical position whenthe goal-structureAis in fully extended position. Telescopicallymounted.upon

the tubular member 16 is a sleeve 17 providedwith a setscrew 18by which thesleeve 17 maybe rigidly .heldxin anyv position of vertical adjustment, within appropriate limits,.

upon the tubular member 16.. Rigidly mounteduponthe sleeve 17 by means of brackets 19;,2l),.is a conventional.

basketball backboard 21. havingtheusualbasket 22.

Welded upon and depending from the cross-bar 2,in..

rearward alignment withthe column 6 is :a. clevice-member'23 having ahorizontal pintle 24 whichrockablyssupports the upper end of a brace bar 25., Weldeduponthe: rear face of the brace bar 25 adjacent the lower end,

thereof. is. a hinge-plate 26 which-is. rockably; mounted upon a pintle 27. supported: at'its ends-in andcxtending;

horizontally betweena pairof ears. 28. which are, in turn, welded upon the upper end of a brace bar 29. Thedi: mensionsand locations ofthehinge-plate 26,;the pintle 27, and the ears 28 are such that thetwobrace bars 25, 29,.will be disposed in snug-fitting endwise abutment when the goal-structure A is in fully extended position as shown in Figure 2. At its lower end, the brace bar 29 is hingedly mounted upon a pintle 30 which is mounted at its ends in and extends horizontally between a pair of cars 31 which are welded upon the rear face of. the chan: 'nel 11.

Also welded upon and extending downwardly from the cross-bar 2 in somewhat rearwardly-inclined position are: a pairof bracket-arms 32, 33, which support a horizontal shaft 34. Suitably journaled upon the shaft 34 is a winch:v drum 35 provided at one end with a Worm gear 36 which meshes with a worm 37 keyed upon a shaft 38ofareversible electric motor 39, the latter being suspended from. the cross-bar 2 by means of a bracket 44). The motor.

shaft 38 also projects at its other end into a housing extension 41 which preferably is formed as an integral part of the main motor housing-42 and is provided with a removable cover plate 43; the housing extension 41 and journaled therein at its opposite ends is a short shaft 44- which is held in position at its lower end by a set-collar 45 and is provided at its upper end with a bevel gear 46 which meshes with a companion bevel gear 47, the latter being pinned, keyed,.

or otherwise rigidly mounted upon the motor shaft 38. The downwardly projecting end of the shaft 44 is provided. with a rectilinear socket 48 for optionally receiving-the matching and 49 of a long manual rod-crank 50 which is. provided adjacent its lower end with ahandle uill51rotatably held thereon by the washers 52, 53,,

and cotter pins 54, 55. The shaft 44 and the bevel gears 46, 47 taken in conjunction with therod-crank 50, merely afford an auxiliary driving mechanism by which the motor shaft 38'may bemanually rotated in case of power failure or. other similar. emergency.

Weldedsuponthe rearwardly presented face ofthe.

These struts 15 extend upwardly and divergeoutwardly from thecolumn- G and are welded" at their Extending vertically through.

channel 12 is a pair of ears 56 for supporting a horizontallyextending pintle or pin 57.. Pivotally mountedat its, lower end upon the pin 57 is a latch member 58 which is provided with an aperture 59 and extending loosely therethrough i a short rod 60 which is pivotally mounted at its inner end by means of a pintle 61 upon a small supporting bracket 62 which is also welded upon the rear face of the channel 12 in upwardly. spaced relation to the cars 56. At its outwardly extending end-the rod 60isprovided with a compression spring 63"whic'h' bears aganist a washer 64 abutting against the rearfaceof the latch member 58. At its other end, the spring 63 abuts' against afwasher. 65 which is held upon the rod 60 by means ofa cotter'pin 66. At its upper.end-,.the latch member 58 isbent angularly to the rear in the provision of a camming shoe 67 and welded or otherwise-rigidly.mounted upon the forwardly presented face of the latch member 58 is a latch-tongue 68 which is adapted for locking engagement with a detent-tongue 69 welded upon the rear face of the channel 11. Also welded upon the lower end of the brace bar 29 and projecting downwardly therefrom is a latch release bar 70 which extends into the space between the upper end of the latch member 58and the rear face of the chan-- nel 11 when the goal-structure A is in fully extended positionas shown in Figure 2. In this position, the latchtongue 68 is retentively engaged upon the detent-tongue 69 and serves to latch the columns 6, 10, in such fully ex? tended position. The position of these members when. latched is also shown in'dotted lines in Figure 3.

Bolted or otherwise rigidly secured upon the lateral face of the brace bar 29 adjacent'its lower end is a laterally and downwardly extending plate 71 which is provided with a pulley72 journaled upon a suitable pin 73 which is, inturn, held-in place by a U-shaped retainer. 74 welded upon the plate 71. Similarly mounted upon a. lateral face of the channel 11 inmore or less coplanar.

around the pulleys 75, 72, and is wrapped around and.

fastened to the winch drum 35. Also welded upon the lateral faces of the channel 11 at the lower end thereofand extending downwardly therefrom are two angle bars.

79, 30, which extend in flatwise abutment along the lateral faces of the channel 12 and project angularly outwardly therefrom. At their lower or projecting end,

the'angle bars 79, 80, are connected by a bolt 81 which. is provided with a spacer sleeve 82 and a plurality of shims 83. By varying the number of shims 83, it is possible to adjust the horizontal distance between the angle bars 79, 55%, so that they will snugly embrace the lateral faces of the channel 12 when the goal-structure A is in. fully extended position, thereby acting as a stabilizing brace across the area of the abutment joint between the columns 6, 14).

When the goal-structure A is in fully extended position, as shown in Figure 2, the brace rods 25, 29, are in endwise abutment and form a rigid rear brace for the entire structure and the structure is firmly held in fully extended position by inter-engagement between the latchtongue 68 and the detent-tongue 69, as previously pointed out. In order to retract the goal-structure A, the motor 39 is energized through a remotely located switch, the:

latter being entirely conventional and, therefore, not

shown or described herein. As the motor 39 is; energiz'ed, it will rotate the-.winchdrum 35 in the appropriate direction and the cable 78 will accordingly be wound: up; on the winch drum 35. The initial movement of the cable 78 will rock the brace bars 25, 29, out of the straight endwise abutting position shown in full lines to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. This initial inwardly swinging movement is possible since the pulley 72 is offset to the rear by means of the plate 71 and, furthermore, since the columns 6, 10, can swing slightly to the rear even though they are not, for the moment, unlatched. As the brace bar 29 swings forwardly, the latch release bar- 70 will swing downwardly and engage the upper end of the latch member 58, swinging it rearwardly to the position shown in full lines in Figure 3, thereby disengaging the latch-tongue 68 from the detent-tongue 69. Consequently, further winding up of the cable will cause the columns 6, 10, to hinge apart and ultimately the entire goal-structure will be drawn ceilingward to the fully retracted position shown in Figure 7.

As soon as the goal-structure A reaches'fully retracted position, the motor 39 may be switched off and the goal-structure A will remain in such retracted position since the worm gear 36 and the worm 37 are self-locking. In other words, the frictional engagement between the worm gear 36 and the worm 37 is sufiicient to prevent unauthorized reverse movement of the structure.

When it is desired to return the goal-structure A to fully extended position, the switch, which, of course, is of the conventional reversing type, is moved to the proper position to energize the motorin the reverse direction. Thereupon, the cable 78 will be unwound from the winch drum 35, allowing the entire structure to drop under gravity until it assumes the fully extended position shown in Figure 2. As the goal-structure A reaches this fully extended position, the latch-tongue 68 will again engage the detent-tongue 69, locking the structure in such fully extended position.

As can be readily seen by reference to Fig. 1, it is also possible to provide the tubular member 16 with a second backboard and basket disposed on the opposite or rear side, so that the two backboards will be arranged in back-to-back relation. Such an arrangement is particularly useful in a gymnasium which has two basketball playing areas arranged in end-to-end relation. For such an arrangement, a single retractible overhead basketball goal-structure A can be utilized to support two oppositely presented backboards and baskets serving both courts.

Similarly, the backboard 21 and its associated basket 22. can be mounted on the side of the tubular member 16, that is to say in a position rotated 90 from that shown in Fig. 1. Such arrangement is particularly useful where the gynasium is sub-divided into several parts by disappearing walls or folding partitions. Under these circumstances, it is convenient to mount the retractible overhead basketball goal-structure A parallel to the partition and inwardly thereof so as to avoidiinterference with the opening and closing of the partition. As will be evident by reference to Fig. 6, the backboard 21 and the basket 22, when in sidewardly presented position, will not interfere with the other structural members of the device in folded position.

Retractible overhead basketball goal-structures made in accordance with the present invention are extremely rigid when in fully extended or operative position and can'be shifted from fully extended position to retracted position with ease, speed, and simplicity. Moreover, when such backboards are in raised position, the structure is extremely compact and presents practically no interference Withlighting, piping, ducts, and other structural elements of the building. In fact, by comparing Figs. 1 and 7, it will be evident that the structure is so designed that it can fold within half of its drop length.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the retractible overhead basketball goal-structure may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An overhead basketball goal-structure comprising bearing means adapted for securement to a roof truss,

3 beam or similar elevated structural element of a building housing the basketball court, a first arm swingably mounted at one end on the bearing means, said first arm being adapted to swing downwardly and forwardly from an upwardly disposed rearwardly extending closed position to a downwardly extending open position, a second arm hingedly mounted on the other end of the first arm, a basket carried by the second arm, latch means for locking the arms in downwardly extended position, lateral bracing means connected to, and extending on each side of, the first arm upwardly to the bearing means, said lateral bracing means also being swingably mounted on the bearing means so as to swing with the first arm, rear brace means operatively connected to the first arm adjacent to the hinged connection between the arms, said rear brace means extending upwardly and rearwardly to a structural element of the building and being connected thereto rearwardly with respect to the bearing means, said brace means being hinged intermediate its ends so as to fold forwardly toward the first arm into folded position, unlatching means operatively associated with the rear brace means and being positioned for engagement with the latch means when the rear brace swings toward folded position whereby to unlock the arms, and actuating means operatively connected in common to the rear brace and to both of the arms for initially swinging the rear brace toward folded position whereby to unlock the arms and thereupon simultaneously swing the rear brace to folded position and the arms upwardly into closed position in which the basket-carrying end of the second arm is adjacent to the bearing-supported end of the first arm.

2. An overhead basketball goal-structure comprising bearing means adapted for securement to a roof truss, beam or similar elevated structural element of a building housing the basketball court, a first arm swingably mounted at one end on the bearing means, a second arm hingedly mounted on the other end of the first arm, a basket carried by the second ar-rn, latch means for locking the arms to each other in downwardly extended position, lateral bracing means connected to, and extending on each side of, the first arm upwardly to the bearing means, said lateral bracing means also being swingably mounted on the bearing means so as to swing with the first arm, rear brace means operatively connected to the first arm adjacent to the hinged connection between the arms, said rear brace means extending upwardly and rearwardly to a structural element of the building and being connected thereto rearwardly with respect to the bearing means, said brace means being hinged intermediate its ends so as to fold forwardlyas the arms fold upwardly, said brace means being provided at its lower end with actuator means for unlocking the latch means and thereby releasing the first and second arms from locked engagement, and means for initially actuating the actuator means to unlock the latch means and thereupon simultaneously swinging the arms upwardly into folded position in which the basket-carrying end of the second arm is adjacent to the bearing-supported end of the first arm.

3. An overhead basketball goal-structure comprising bearing means adapted for securement to a roof truss, beam or similar elevated structural element of a building housing the basketball court, a first arm consisting of a single elongated member swingably mounted at one end of the bearing means, lateral braces rigidly connected to the first arm on opposite sides thereof and extending divergently upward therefrom and being operatively connected to the bearing means, a second arm consisting of a single elongated member hingedly mounted on the other end of the first arm, a basket carried by the second arm, latch means for locking the arms in downwardly extended position, a pulley journaled upon the first arm, a releasable brace secured at one end to the arms adjacent the hinged connection between the arms, a pu ley journalled upon the releasable brace, a winding drum operatively mounted upon a structural element of the building rearwardly of the bearing means and above the position of the basket when the arms are downwardly extended, a. cable fastened at one end to the second arm adjacentthe lower end thereof and extending upwardly around the pulleys, being fastened at its other end to and wrapped around the winding drum, actuator means operable responsive to movement of the cable whereby to unlock the latch means, and meansfor turning'the winding drum.

4. An overhead basketball goal-structure comprising bearing means adapted for securement to a roof truss, beam or similar elevated structural element of a building housing the basketball court, a first arm consisting of a single elongated member swingably mounted at one end of the bearing means, lateral braces rigidly connected to the first arm on opposite sides thereof and extending divergently upward therefrom and being operatively connected to the bearing means, a second arm consisting of a single elongated member hingedly mounted on the other end of the first arm, a basket carried by the second arm. latch means for locking the arms iii-downwardly extended position, a pulley journaled upon the first arm, a winding drum operatively mounted upon a structural element of the building rearwardly of the bearing means and above the position of the basket when the arms are downwardly extended, a releasable brace secured at one end to the arms adjacent the hinged conection between the arms, a pulley journaled upon the releasable brace, said lastnamed pulley being laterally offset from the releasable brace so that force applied to the'said last-named pulley will cause the releasable brace to hinge out of bracing position, a cable fastened at one end to the second arm adjacent the lower end thereof and extending upwardly around the pulleys, being fastened at its other end to and wrapped around the winding drum, actuator means operable responsive to movement of the cable whereby to unlock the latch means, and means for turning the winding drum.

5. An overhead basketball goal structure comprising bearing means adapted for securement to overhead trusses and beams on a building housing a basketball court, a frame swingably mounted on said bearing means and adapted to swing downwardly therefrom, releasable means rigidly securing said frame when in the lowermost position, a single arm pivotally mounted on the transverse center of said frame and adapted to extend downwardly therefrom when said frame is in the lowermost position, a basketball backboard and basket rigidly secured to said arm and adapted to assume a predetermined position and location when the frame is in the lowermost position, and means for interlocking said arm and said frame when the frame is in the lowermost position whereby all 'forces placed on the backboard and basket will be transmitted through the arm to the frame and releasable means.

6. An overhead basketball goal structure comprising bearing means adapted for securement to overhead trusses and beams on a building housing a basketball court, a first bar pivotally mounted at one end on said bearing means and having a first flat margin at its unpivoted end, a pair of converging supports pivotally mounted on said bearing means :and ri idly secured to said first bar whereby to provide lateral support therefor, a foldable brace pivotally connected to said bearing means and said first bar and adapted to hold said first bar adjacent to said bearing means when completely folded and to assume a on the unpivoted end of said first bar and extending outwardly therefrom, said second bar having a second margin at its upper end sized for flushwise abutment with said first margin when the structure is completely extended, a basketball goal rigidly mounted on the lower end of said second bar, interlocking latch means operaiively mounted on said first and second bars and adapted to hold said first margin securely in abutment with said second margin when the structure is in the extended position, a lateral support bracket rigidly mounted on the lower end of said first bar and sized for snug-fitting engagem'ent with said second bar whereby the combination of the lateral support bracket and the first and second abutting margins transfers lateral forces from the goal to the first bar including the converging supports and the.

foldable brace and the combination of the latch means and the first and second abutting margins transfers forward and reverse forces from the goal to the first bar and the foldable brace, latch releasing means operatively mounted on said foldable brace and adapted for unlatching the interlockinglatch means as said foldable brace is folded whereby to permit simultaneous folding of the first and second bars therewith, *andtmeans for moving said first and second bars and said foldable brace into the openative and folded positions.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein the interlocking latch means comprises a pair-of complementary latching teeth, one latching tooth .being rigidly mounted on the first bar and the other latching tooth being rigidly mounted on an ear which is pivotally attached to said second bar and spring biased against said bar.

8. The structure of claim 6 wherein the interlocking latch means comprises a pair of complementary latching teeth, one latching tooth being rigidly mounted on the first bar and the other latching tooth being 7 rigidly mounted on an ear which is pivotally attached to said rigid supportive position when open for supporting said 6 first bar securely in place, a secondbar pivotally mounted second bar and spring-biased against said bar, and the latch releasing means comprises a bar rigidly secured to said foldable brace and positioned for urging said ear away from the second bar when the foldable brace is urged from the unfolded to the folded position whereby to move said latching teeth out of engagement.

9. The structure of claim 6 wherein the first and second bars are oblique to each other when the structure is completely opened, and the basketball goal is in substantially true vertical displacement from the end of the first bar which is pivoted on said bearing means;

,10. The structure of claim 6 wherein the means for moving the structure into thefolded and operative positions comprises a first pulley openatively mounted on the first .bar, a second pulley operatively mounted on the lower end of the foldable brace, a winding drum operatively mounted on the upper end of the foldable brace, a cable secured at one end to the second bar and being routed successively over the first and second pulleys and onto the winding drum, said second pulley and winding drumbeing mounted in offset relation from said foldable brace whereby as said cable is tightened said brace is caused to fold away from the cable, and means for winding and unwinding said cable onto said drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,919,494 Albach July 25, 1933 2,786,677 Noonan et al Mar. 26, 1957 2,872,192 Margetts et a1 Feb. 3, 1959 

